Man found dead in Liberty County jail cell

Published 7:06 pm, Tuesday, December 15, 2015

A man found guilty of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver Tuesday was found hanged in a Liberty County holding cell later in the day.

Kenneth Ray Thornhill, 48, had taken off his blue dress shirt, secured it to a cell bar approximately 6 feet off the floor and tied the other end around his neck, according to Liberty County Sheriff's Capt. Ken DeFoor. He had been placed in the holding cell around 12:05 p.m. and was found non-responsive at 12:50 p.m., DeFoor said.

Court personnel untied the knot of the shirt and called an ambulance in an unsuccessful effort to revive Thornhill.

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Thornhill, of Cold Spring in San Jacinto County, was arrested for the drug offense Jan. 17, 2014 and released on $20,000 bond the following day. He has had at least two other felony convictions for drug violations in Harris County.

Thornhill's trial by jury began Monday and continued through Tuesday morning. Thornhill was found dead about an hour-and-a-half after the jury reached its guilty verdict.

The Liberty County Sheriff's Office release emphasized that the court bailiff and investigator followed standard procedures in removing Thornhill's belt and personal property before placing him in a holding cell. At that time, Thornhill asked if he would be able to speak with his attorney when court resumed at 1 p.m. and "was assured he would be able to do so," the release said.

The judge on Thornhill's case, Judge Mark Morefield, spoke to the jury and prosecution after Thornhill was found to see if he had said anything that would have suggested suicidal intentions. They said he appeared normal and gave no indication that he intended to commit suicide. Justice of the Peace Stephen Hebert ordered an autopsy.

Texas Rangers are investigating along with Liberty County Sheriff's Sgt. Investigator Billy Knox.

Since 2005, there have been 126 deaths in city jails statewide, 45 of which were suicides.

The Harris County Jail has had 10 inmates commit suicide since 2009, a rate well below the national average for county jails but three times the number of suicides during the previous five years. Three of those cases were deaths by hanging within a three-month span in 2014.

The high-profile suicides have prompted calls this year for better guard training and cell checks.